Characterization and antitumor activity of camptothecin from endophytic fungus <i>Fusarium solani</i> isolated from <i>Camptotheca acuminate</i>

Abstract

Background: Camptothecin (CPT) is a potent drug against cancers, originally from plants. The endophytic fungi could produce the secondary metabolite same as the host and is used as medicine. Objectives:The aim of this paper was to investigate an endophytic fungal CPT with anti-neoplastic activity. Methods: Endophytic fungi were isolated from Camptotheca acuminata in China. CPT from strain S-019 was characterized by TLC, HPLC and EI-MS analysis. Anti-tumor activity of fungal CPT was detected by MTT and fluorescent dye methods using Vero and PC-3 cells. Results: A total of 94 endophytic fungi strains were isolated from tissues of C. acuminata and 16 fungi strains displayed cytotoxic activity on Vero or PC3 cells. Of which, the fungal strain S-019, classified as Fusarium solani, displayed impressive cytotoxic activity on cancer cells and was found to produce CPT by analysis of TLC, HPLC and EI-MS methods. Bioassay studies confirmed that the fungi CPT had potent cytotoxicity on Vero cells and induced apoptosis of Vero cells. Conclusion:The endophytic fungi from camptotheca trees are a reliable source for natural anticancer compounds. The endophytic fungi could produce CPT same as plant. The fungal CPT exhibited effective activity at inhibiting cell growth and inducing apoptosis on Vero cells.

Agricultural and Other Biotechnological Applications Resulting from Trophic Plant-Endophyte Interactions

“…Table 4 presents a summary of the most popular bioactive compounds synthesized by endophytic microbiota. Usually, cytotoxic activity [129][130][131] followed by anticancer and antibacterial activities [132][133][134], antiviral effects [135], and protective impact against pathogens [134] were detected. Many such cases have been documented in literature older than from the last two years are included in Table 4.…”

Partitioning of Fungal Endophyte Assemblages in Root-Parasitic Plant Cynomorium songaricum and Its Host Nitraria tangutorum

“…Besides the above roles of endophytes in parasitic development, they also exhibit profound influence on seed germination, and it is a well-established fact that Mycena osmundicola and Mycena dendrobii are essential for seed germination of Gastrodia elata by secreting indoleacetic acid ( Xu and Guo, 1989 ; Guo and Wang, 2001 ). Recent investigations are also providing new and exciting information on the potential of cultivable endophytic fungi (associated with medicinal plants) as reliable sources of plant secondary metabolite accumulation and bioactivity ( Nisa et al, 2015 ; Chagas et al, 2017 ; Cui et al, 2017 ; Ran et al, 2017 ). While the importance of endophytic fungi to the growth and development of host plants is increasingly being substantiated, exploiting these endophytic relationships for production of medicinal plant-based drugs and mechanistic understanding of the benefits of these exact relationships is still very limited.…”

Isaria tenuipes Peck, an entomopathogenic fungus from Darjeeling Himalaya: Evaluation of in-vitro antiproliferative and antioxidant potential of its mycelium extract

“…Marine yeasts screened on human breast carcinoma cells (HepG2) were found to be cytotoxic with IC 50 values of >31.25 μg/ml for all yeasts sample tested [58]. Similarly, fungal endophytes have also been reported to be cytotoxic against PC3 cell lines with an IC 50 value of >50μg/ml [59]. In this context, the cytotoxic activity of the mycelial extracts established a fact that the entomopathogenic fungi are a sustainable source of natural anticancer compounds with potent activities.…”